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5 Best Movies on Shudder You Probably Haven’t Seen

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Best Movies on Shudder

Once you start looking for the best movies on Shudder, you essentially fall down a rabbit hole. There are hundreds of options hailing from every subgenre, and some of the most classic selections go all the way back to the 1930s (i.e. The Old Dark House). Unfortunately, we far too often get caught up in watching whatever films currently have the most hype.

I don’t like it any more than you do, but this means we miss out on awesome films that simply didn’t get the love they deserved. If you make a habit of watching movies you’ve never heard of on Shudder, you might have caught a few of these. If not, you’re in for a treat.

1. Darling (2015)

This psychological horror movie utilizes some of the visual and cinematic elements you’d expect to see in a surreal noir foreign film, but it steps far outside of that confining metaphorical box. It features the talented Lauren Ashley Carter along with a supporting cast that includes Larry Fessenden and Sean Young. Here’s the synopsis:

“A lonely young woman moves into an old, mysterious Manhattan mansion. She soon discovers the estate’s troubling past – stories which slowly transform into a backdrop for her twisted and violent descent into madness.”

With a 5.5 rating on IMDb, a case could be made that this is one of the best movies on Shudder period. After all, we know IMDb lowballs horror flicks for some reason. At only 78 minutes long, you’re missing out on a few episodes of The Office at the most. Here’s the trailer:

2. Flowers in the Attic (1987)

Wes Craven was scheduled to direct the film rendition of the V.C. Andrews book, Flowers in the Attic. Why haven’t you heard more about this? Probably because the producers were completely disturbed by the screenplay draft he submitted. The film got major negative reviews at the time, but modern audiences have been a bit less severe in their assessment.

Make no mistake: this writer is of the belief that the film would’ve been lightyears better had Craven gotten his bladed-finger-gloved mitts on it. Regardless, it’s still worth a watch. You’re either going to love it or hate it – there is no in-between. While many other films are more deserving of the best movie on Shudder title, this one falls squarely in the “so bad it’s good” category.

Here’s your trailer:

3. Spring (2014)

If you haven’t stumbled across Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead just yet, you’re in for one heck of a surprise. The two worked absolute magic and injected an infrequent fusion of originality into horror with their related films Resolution and The Endless. Seriously, go find those movies somewhere and watch them if you haven’t already. In that order!

If you’re a Shudder subscriber, though, you don’t have to go off on an expedition just yet. Spring is unrelated to the two aforementioned films, but it stands on its own with ease. This is one of the best movies on Shudder you probably haven’t seen for a variety of reasons, but when it comes down to brass tacks, it’s all thanks to Benson and Moorhead. Here’s the synopsis:

“An aimless young man (Lou Taylor Pucci) takes an impromptu trip to Italy and becomes involved with an alluring genetics student (Nadia Hilker) who harbors a transformative secret.”

It’s a twisted love story that showcases just a little of what Benson and Moorhead are all about. Trust me, you’re going to thank me once you get a taste of this duo. In the meantime, here’s the film’s trailer:

4. The House by the Cemetery (1981)

Going back another few decades, The House by the Cemetery is an Italian horror film that had the great Lucio Fulci at its helm. It tells the story of a New England house hounded by murders and the gruesome secret in the basement that keeps the horror moving forward.

This is another flick that received not-so-great reviews upon its release. Unlike Flowers in the Attic, though, the reviews haven’t gotten much better. There is some positive retrospective reception, but the infrequent praise typically falls into two categories: 1) so bad it’s good and 2) haunting atmosphere.

To be completely honest, though, the bad reviews are probably because it’s a Giallo film. This one was so bad that it had to be released unrated just to not garner the dreaded “X” label, and we know critics are just inept when it comes to reviewing these flicks. Check out the trailer below:

5. Blue My Mind (2017)

Bringing us back closer to the present is Blue My Mind. It’s a body horror film – just like Spring – and if you haven’t seen it, it’s definitely one of the best movies on Shudder you’ve missed. It’s got a 6.1 rating on IMDb – which is typically stellar for a horror movie – and the healthy dose of body grossness will keep you squirming throughout.

Here’s the synopsis:

“Mia, a 15-year-old, is facing an overwhelming transformation. Her body is changing radically, and despite desperate attempts to halt the process, she is soon forced to accept that nature is far more powerful than her.”

Puberty is hard on all of us, but poor Mia definitely drew the short straw. Check out the trailer and then enjoy this awesome flick:

What Best Movies on Shudder Did We Miss?

Whether they’re the best of the best or the best of the worst, these films demand at least one viewing. If you’re able to break away from the Shudder exclusives and new releases for a moment, you might get a kick out of these flicks or even discover a new favorite.

Still trying to find the best movies on Shudder that you may have missed? Feel free to head over to the Facebook group House of Shudder. And if you already have a few films in mind that we missed, though, tell us about them in the comments!

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Melissa Barrera Says ‘Scary Movie VI’ Would Be “Fun To Do”

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Melissa Barrera might literally get the last laugh on Spyglass thanks to a possible Scary Movie sequel. Paramount and Miramax are seeing the right opportunity to bring the satirical franchise back into the fold and announced last week one might be in production as early as this fall.

The last chapter of the Scary Movie franchise was almost a decade ago and since the series lampoons thematic horror movies and pop culture trends, it would seem they have a lot of content to draw ideas from, including the recent reboot of slasher series Scream.

Barerra, who starred as final girl Samantha in those movies was abruptly fired from the latest chapter, Scream VII, for expressing what Spyglass interpreted as “antisemitism,” after the actress came out in support of Palestine on social media.

Even though the drama wasn’t a laughing matter, Barrera might get her chance to parody Sam in Scary Movie VI. That is if the opportunity arises. In an interview with Inverse, the 33-year-old actress was asked about Scary Movie VI, and her reply was intriguing.

“I always loved those movies,” the actress told Inverse. “When I saw it announced, I was like, ‘Oh, that would be fun. That would be so fun to do.’”

That “fun to do” part could be construed as a passive pitch to Paramount, but that’s open to interpretation.

Just like in her franchise, Scary Movie also has a legacy cast including Anna Faris and Regina Hall. There is no word yet on if either of those actors will appear in the reboot. With or without them, Barrera is still a fan of the comedies. “They have the iconic cast that did it, so we’ll see what goes on with that. I’m just excited to see a new one,” she told the publication.

Barrera is currently celebrating the box office success of her latest horror movie Abigail.

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Thrills and Chills: Ranking ‘Radio Silence’ Films from Bloody Brilliant to Just Bloody

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Radio Silence Films

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, and Chad Villella are all filmmakers under the collective label called Radio Silence. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett are the primary directors under that moniker while Villella produces.

They have gained popularity over the past 13 years and their films have become known as having a certain Radio Silence “signature.” They are bloody, usually contain monsters, and have breakneck action sequences. Their recent film Abigail exemplifies that signature and is perhaps their best film yet. They are currently working on a reboot of John Carpenter’s Escape From New York.

We thought we would go through the list of projects they have directed and rank them from high to low. None of the movies and shorts on this list are bad, they all have their merits. These rankings from top to bottom are just ones we felt showcased their talents the best.

We didn’t include movies they produced but didn’t direct.

#1. Abigail

An update to the second film on this list, Abagail is the natural progression of Radio Silence’s love of lockdown horror. It follows in pretty much the same footsteps of Ready or Not, but manages to go one better — make it about vampires.

Abigail

#2. Ready or Not

This film put Radio Silence on the map. While not as successful at the box office as some of their other films, Ready or Not proved that the team could step outside their limited anthology space and create a fun, thrilling, and bloody adventure-length film.

Ready or Not

#3. Scream (2022)

While Scream will always be a polarizing franchise, this prequel, sequel, reboot — however you want to label it showed just how much Radio Silence knew the source material. It wasn’t lazy or cash-grabby, just a good time with legendary characters we love and new ones who grew on us.

Scream (2022)

#4 Southbound (The Way Out)

Radio Silence tosses their found footage modus operandi for this anthology film. Responsible for the bookend stories, they create a terrifying world in their segment titled The Way Out, which involves strange floating beings and some sort of time loop. It’s kind of the first time we see their work without a shaky cam. If we were to rank this entire film, it would remain at this position on the list.

Southbound

#5. V/H/S (10/31/98)

The film that started it all for Radio Silence. Or should we say the segment that started it all. Even though this isn’t feature-length what they managed to do with the time they had was very good. Their chapter was titled 10/31/98, a found-footage short involving a group of friends who crash what they think is a staged exorcism only to learn not to assume things on Halloween night.

V/H/S

#6. Scream VI

Cranking up the action, moving to the big city and letting Ghostface use a shotgun, Scream VI turned the franchise on its head. Like their first one, this film played with canon and managed to win over a lot of fans in its direction, but alienated others for coloring too far outside the lines of Wes Craven’s beloved series. If any sequel was showing how the trope was going stale it was Scream VI, but it managed to squeeze some fresh blood out of this nearly three-decade mainstay.

Scream VI

#7. Devil’s Due

Fairly underrated, this, Radio Silence’s first feature-length film, is a sampler of things they took from V/H/S. It was filmed in an omnipresent found footage style, showcasing a form of possession, and features clueless men. Since this was their first bonafide major studio job it’s a wonderful touchstone to see how far they have come with their storytelling.

Devil’s Due

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Perhaps the Scariest, Most Disturbing Series of The Year

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You may have never heard of Richard Gadd, but that will probably change after this month. His mini-series Baby Reindeer just hit Netflix and it’s a terrifying deep dive into abuse, addiction, and mental illness. What is even scarier is that it’s based on Gadd’s real-life hardships.

The crux of the story is about a man named Donny Dunn played by Gadd who wants to be a stand-up comedian, but it’s not working out so well thanks to stage fright stemming from his insecurity.

One day at his day job he meets a woman named Martha, played to unhinged perfection by Jessica Gunning, who is instantly charmed by Donny’s kindness and good looks. It doesn’t take long before she nicknames him “Baby Reindeer” and begins to relentlessly stalk him. But that is just the apex of Donny’s problems, he has his own incredibly disturbing issues.

This mini-series should come with a lot of triggers, so just be warned it is not for the faint of heart. The horrors here don’t come from blood and gore, but from physical and mental abuse that go beyond any physiological thriller you may have ever seen.

“It’s very emotionally true, obviously: I was severely stalked and severely abused,” Gadd said to People, explaining why he changed some aspects of the story. “But we wanted it to exist in the sphere of art, as well as protect the people it’s based on.”

The series has gained momentum thanks to positive word-of-mouth, and Gadd is getting used to the notoriety.

“It’s clearly struck a chord,” he told The Guardian. “I really did believe in it, but it’s taken off so quickly that I do feel a bit windswept.”

You can stream Baby Reindeer on Netflix right now.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

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